[0:05] No, because of the celebration. There's
been conversations where where we
[0:09] couldn't have
[0:23] There's reasons for it.
[0:26] » Morning, Travis.
[0:32] » I have
I'm printing you some soap box Derby
[0:36] flyers.
[0:42] Yes, but you were going to hand them out
or have give them to Katie to hand out.
[0:52] » We're going.
All right. Let's call this meeting to
[0:55] order.
Um is there any uh additions or
[0:58] corrections to the agenda?
Seeing none, that will stand. Um
[1:04] July 9th, 2026 meeting minutes. Any
additions or corrections?
[1:09] Seeing none, those will be on file in
the clerk's office and on website.
[1:14] Public comment on any agenda item.
Thank you.
[1:18] » Offer one that you advertise Maiden Road
is 90% in the ground or something. Of
[1:23] course, that's what I've always paid in
the area, and I guess they won't go
[1:27] paving the ground.
>> That's counting the gun club road.
[1:34] » Oh, I don't know. We're doing good that
way.
[1:37] » Oh, really?
Ah, interesting. Thank you.
[1:42] » And
Is there any public comment?
[1:46] Now, it's public hearing, annexation of
real property into Moore Fire District.
[1:52] Bringing that up. Must be Jerry.
>> I will.
[1:56] Um
[1:58] For the record, Mr. Chairman, members of
the commission, my name is Jerry
[2:02] Simpson. I am here representing my
daughter, Karen Colip.
[2:07] Um you need me to spell that for you?
And and Heather and Teresa Best.
[2:13] This property, one one parcel of this
property up on the mountain when fire
[2:17] district was formed in the late '90s,
for some reason did not get included. Um
[2:24] my uncle at that time owned it. He asked
me about it and I said,
[2:29] "Well, talk to the county
commissioners."
[2:31] Well, he and Joe Speaker were good old
buddies.
[2:34] And um they had a conversation down
there and and he told me that, "Yep, it
[2:38] all got taken care of."
But then
[2:42] the property got transferred into Karen
and Teresa's name.
[2:46] And Karen is a uh CPA,
accountant, auditor.
[2:52] And she's like, "Dad, why is
the taxes on that 40 so much higher than
[2:57] the 120?"
And it's because it's being assessed a
[3:01] forest fire fee versus more rural fire
fee.
[3:06] And when I asked the Department of
Revenue about that, she said it's
[3:10] unprotected, it's not in fire district.
This is a DNR C fee because it's
[3:14] unprotected.
I guess are there
[3:17] unprotected areas being assessed this
fee?
[3:21] » I don't know. So, the DNR C's making
money?
[3:24] » Yep. It's a dollar 44 an acre. I would
think people would be uh
[3:28] versus 9 cents. I would think people
would be asking. So,
[3:31] so we took it to the fire board.
And as you know, I am a member, past
[3:38] chief of the board. So, no conflict of
interest here, you know. I'm not
[3:42] representing more rural, I'm
representing
[3:45] property owners. Um
we wanted be annexed in the fire
[3:51] district, please.
Thank you.
[3:55] » Yeah.
You there?
[4:01] Comments?
Hearing?
[4:05] Seeing none, we'll close the public
hearing.
[4:09] Bid openings, Main Road chip seal.
[4:13] » Thank you. We just have the one. That's
all I know.
[4:15] » That's all I know.
>> Yeah.
[4:48] » We have a bid from uh
Century.
[4:54] Total construction cost $557,818.
[5:06] See.
[5:10] » All right. We're all
[5:14] Uh
Have the attorneys look at it.
[5:16] » Have the state look at it.
>> Daily look at it with the attorney.
[5:20] » Good to do that.
>> That's your area. Good idea.
[5:22] » Check the certified person.
[5:28] » Okay.
[5:32] Um
We'll uh
[5:39] » Um it was probably [laughter]
>> Yeah, it was it was down.
[5:43] » I didn't even look at it.
>> All right. So, we will uh
[5:49] We'll then under advisement of our
engineers and attorneys
[5:53] determine whether we accept the bid or
not one.
[5:58] Either Deb?
>> Yep.
[6:00] » All right, we're already in.
[6:04] Okay.
And now there's no other bid openings,
[6:07] so we'll
close the bid openings.
[6:10] Personnel announcements,
um,
[6:13] still looking for a detention officer,
still looking for a public health,
[6:17] uh, director and district court office
clerk.
[6:22] Anything else? Is that what you said in
the three?
[6:27] Announcements and reports.
Fair's going good?
[6:31] » Fair's going good. Record turnout for
the rodeo Wednesday night.
[6:35] Last night was a zoo, sold out, packed,
midway was crazy, but it cooled off at
[6:41] 8:00.
Um, so
[6:45] very good. I do know that they're going
to, if their temperatures remain saying
[6:50] it's going to be 104, they're going to
release the animals early Saturday
[6:54] morning.
So they can get them out of there before
[6:57] it gets too hot.
Um,
[7:00] other than that, I think everything's
going really well.
[7:06] » Um,
Steve told me from, you know, Steve
[7:10] Fanning, DES, said they are going to
open up
[7:13] the senior center, I think, this
Saturday as a cooling shelter. So.
[7:19] You have that.
Any other announcements?
[7:23] » And they are looking for
water for that and I think going to
[7:28] purchase some water for the cooling
for the senior center.
[7:36] » All right, there's nothing else on the
discussion action items July 24th, 2026
[7:41] claims overview by
We review the accept.
[7:45] » the
July 24th, 2026 claims.
[7:48] » Been moved.
>> Second.
[7:49] » And second. Any discussion?
Seeing none, all in favor?
[7:53] » Aye.
>> Opposed?
[7:57] On to resolution 202026, annexing real
property into the Moore Rural Fire
[8:02] District. What would be your pleasure?
>> I move to approve the annexation of the
[8:08] property into the Moore Rural Fire
District resolution 202026.
[8:14] » Been moved.
>> I second.
[8:15] » And second. Any discussion?
Um
[8:21] Yeah, and we'll bring Moore's on board.
We've already gotten that information.
[8:26] So.
Seems like a smart thing to do.
[8:32] Any further discussion?
Seeing none, all in favor?
[8:35] » Aye.
>> Aye.
[8:36] » Opposed?
All right.
[8:39] And next 10.
Green Minor Subdivision. To come back to
[8:42] you, Amber.
>> All right.
[8:44] So,
on [clears throat]
[8:46] July, I don't know when that meeting was
in Paris. July 16th, the City-County
[8:51] Planning Commission met in regular
session to review the application for
[8:55] the Green Minor Subdivision.
This is an 8-acre lot
[8:59] intended for commercial use, which is
off of Highway 87, directly across from
[9:04] the existing Thorgerson's and Speeca
facilities out there.
[9:09] Um since this subdivision is within 2
miles of the
[9:13] a municipality, we were required by law
to send a notification to the city,
[9:17] which we did on June 12th. We received
no response from them.
[9:21] And that the application was deemed
sufficient on June 10th. The county has
[9:25] 35 working days to complete the review,
which puts the end date at July 29th.
[9:30] This project complies with our existing
growth plan.
[9:34] Uh these lots do not have soils that are
considered the prime farmland or a
[9:37] farmland of statewide importance.
There may be some clashes between
[9:41] commercial development and existing
agricultural use. Right now, it's uh
[9:45] least hay field of Jim Simax.
There were not any irrigation facilities
[9:50] on the property during the time of the
onsite visit. Jury, I'm trying to speak
[9:54] slowly just for you.
On the This proposed lot will utilize an
[9:58] individual well. The information that
the engineers put together
[10:02] um
is in the packets of information that I
[10:05] brought up to you guys so that you can
see where the well location is, the
[10:09] drain field replacement, all of that
information.
[10:12] Since this lot is under 20 acres in
size, it will also require DEQ approval
[10:16] before filing of the final plat.
The lot is proposing to utilize two new
[10:21] approaches off Cottonwood Creek Road, uh
which John has already looked at and
[10:25] approved.
And there is also an existing approach
[10:28] off US Highway 87 as shown on the plat.
The Sheriff's Department was notified on
[10:33] June 12th as well, and the Planning
Office received no response.
[10:37] Ambulance service is available from the
Lewistown Ambulance, and medical
[10:40] services can be provided by the Central
Montana Medical Center. This also falls
[10:44] within the Lewistown Rural Fire
District. All those agencies were
[10:48] notified and they received no response.
The schools always welcome additional
[10:53] students in. Trash removal will be
provided to the individual site by the
[10:57] local private sanitation company.
The developer must contact the Lewistown
[11:01] Post Office to have the mailbox area
reviewed and approved. And since this is
[11:05] a minor subdivision, it is not subject
to front line requirements.
[11:09] Fergus Electric, Northwestern Energy,
Triangle Communications, and Mid Rivers
[11:12] were all notified of the development.
Fergus Electric contacted the Planning
[11:16] Office and stated they would have no
issue providing utilities to the
[11:19] development.
As I stated before, there's no limiting
[11:23] factors on the development out there.
It's It's pretty flat. Uh there's no
[11:27] steep slopes
or highly corrosive soils out there to
[11:31] concrete or steel.
All surface water and storm drainage
[11:34] issues must comply with the Fergus
County Health Department and DEQ
[11:37] approvals. You guys were
uh given the local health district
[11:41] approval from Eva in your packets of
information. Again, since this is under
[11:45] 20 acres, there will also need to be
that DEQ approval before final plat is
[11:49] filed.
This proposed subdivision is not within
[11:52] a special flood hazard area.
Uh the planning office was not aware of
[11:56] any protected or endangered species of
plants or animals. We notified Fish,
[12:00] Wildlife, and Parks and we didn't
receive any response.
[12:03] This development also does not fall
anywhere close to the Montana sage
[12:06] grouse habitat program and the map
there.
[12:10] Uh the planning office is not aware of
any protected or endangered species of
[12:13] plants.
We did not do a fire hazard analysis as
[12:16] there's no timber cover on the property,
no slopes. But as always, we're
[12:20] recommending following fire wise
guidelines whenever possible.
[12:24] Uh there's very small possibility for
snow avalanches or landslides.
[12:29] Um given the proximity of this uh
development to the Lewistown Municipal
[12:34] Airport, we also notified the airport
on June 12th of the of the proposed
[12:40] development. It falls within the
regulated airport affected area, so all
[12:44] requirements of the AAA regulations must
be followed. That kicks in when
[12:49] buildings are of a certain height um and
most type of things. The planning office
[12:52] received no comment from the airport
manager on the proposed development.
[12:57] This site is also located within 1 mile
of a military site, so we like people to
[13:01] be aware of that as well.
Legal and physical access is provided to
[13:05] the lot from Cottonwood Creek Road. All
approaches must be approved, which John
[13:09] has already done.
The historical society had no record of
[13:13] historic or archaeological features on
this property and no covenants were
[13:18] submitted for this. Based on that, the
recommended approval from the
[13:22] City-County Planning Commission
are one, pets are not permitted to roam
[13:26] at large. Condition two, the developer
must obtain and follow the abatement
[13:30] plan. Three, all Fergus County Health
Department and Montana DEQ requirements
[13:34] for water, waste water, and storm
drainage must be followed.
[13:38] Four, all post office and county
requirements for mail delivery must be
[13:41] met. Five, access and utility easements
must be shown on the final plat. Six,
[13:46] development permits and addresses must
be obtained from the county planning
[13:49] office for each structure before
construction begins. New addresses must
[13:53] be posted and visible from the road.
Seven, best management practices for
[13:57] rangeland must be followed. Eight,
future landowners must be notified of
[14:01] neighboring agricultural use and the
right to farm.
[14:04] Nine, landowners must be notified of the
appropriate septic tank maintenance. 10,
[14:08] wildland firewise guidelines must be
followed.
[14:11] 11, approaches must be installed by the
developer and approved by the county
[14:15] road supervisor prior to filing of the
final plat.
[14:18] 12, landowners must be notified of the
approved subdivision lot layouts. 13,
[14:23] landowners must be notified that
Cottonwood Creek it will be maintained
[14:26] at the current level if funding is
available.
[14:29] 14, landowners must be notified that
Fergus County will not be responsible
[14:32] for dust suppression on Cottonwood Creek
Road.
[14:35] 15, the developer must obtain a notice
of intent to appropriate or DNRC's 602 I
[14:40] form for the individual well in the
subdivision. And 16, landowners must be
[14:45] notified this lot is within 1 mile of a
military site and within 2 miles of the
[14:50] Lewistown Municipal Airport.
And I did go back through the old files
[14:54] from Speiker subdivision 1 and Speiker 2
when they split off to do Torgersons to
[14:59] Miss Look and make sure that we
coordinated any conditions or any
[15:02] concerns that people had at that time
over with this subdivisions as well.
[15:07] And Liam is the gentleman who's
purchasing the property and has
[15:11] intentions on moving a portion of his
business out there. So, if he has
[15:15] anything he'd like to add or if anybody
has any questions for Liam or myself.
[15:23] » Big thing on my end was moving the
propane and the fertilizer from where
[15:26] it's at currently out there and then
disassembling that old elevator. Um
[15:32] I think everybody's heard about the
traffic laws that go along there and
[15:36] the truck traffic I'm trying to get rid
of and it's at this point with the water
[15:40] I knew about this was going to be an
issue 4 or 5 years ago.
[15:44] Um would like to get it off the
waterway. Um but the big thing was is
[15:48] the safety
uh concern for everybody going around
[15:51] there. I mean pull in, you can't see
around the corners. People don't 45
[15:55] around it.
Luckily we haven't had any big issues
[15:58] so. I've had a lot of call-ins but
nobody's got hit. And then the big thing
[16:02] to me was the insurance side of it cuz
when they come and do their assessment
[16:06] every year, they take into account the
waterway and they never used to do that
[16:09] before. And so I was told, you know, I
needed if I wanted to be insured by the
[16:14] same company I need to start looking at
different options and so
[16:17] um this has been a process. But the town
has been very, very good to
[16:21] work with so.
You got any questions? Feel free.
[16:28] » I don't.
>> If the building's 38 ft tall.
[16:32] So I think they'll fit what's there and
it is
[16:34] » 60 ft
>> Yeah. And so that it's more of a
[16:38] squatted structure than anything but
it's like 128 by 132 with 38 ft tall.
[16:44] Um they're pretty impressive buildings.
Um
[16:49] if there's ever any questions on that,
anybody wants to be
[16:52] you know, see any more on it.
I've got all the all the documentation
[16:57] for it so.
[17:00] My office will stay down there where it
is currently.
[17:04] Biggest thing was is getting the propane
and the fertilizer out from Sure.
[17:09] » [clears throat]
>> Speak is having to complain about room
[17:12] interview.
>> [laughter]
[17:16] » Big murals on the side of the new tank.
>> [laughter]
[17:19] » What I usually do is we can't paint
those tanks where they're at. You can't
[17:23] paint them and you can't sandblast them.
What I usually do is I leave it up to
[17:27] the community on if they want to. Like
if the school wants to do art projects
[17:32] or something like that, as long as they
don't paint them black.
[17:35] You know, that's the only thing. Um so,
if there's ever any You guys know of
[17:40] anybody that would be interested in
that. I always leave it up to
[17:44] the local community and everybody. So.
>> Cool.
[17:48] » I hope you vet what they do a little
bit.
[17:51] » [laughter]
[17:55] » Well, there's a mural project going on
right now that they're mapping all the
[17:58] murals in the state. And
I know there's a couple local artists
[18:04] that are working on a mural downtown and
are always looking They're always
[18:08] looking for fun places to do things like
that.
[18:11] » Yeah. Yeah, it's it's
it's Pam White and then after that
[18:15] um a lot of times it's like I usually
it's just the school art programs
[18:19] that'll come and do it.
But it's just depending on what if
[18:23] there's something local like that I'd be
more than happy to work with them on it.
[18:28] » Cool. Go Cats would always be good.
[18:37] » [clears throat]
>> All right.
[18:41] Any comments, questions?
[18:45] All right. Uh
there's no more other comments, so
[18:49] I've already made a motion. No, we
haven't.
[18:51] All right.
I would entertain emotions.
[18:58] Sorry.
>> I would
[18:59] » I was looking through there and I lost
track. Yeah, so we're on action items.
[19:03] So, I'll entertain a motion.
>> Would move to approve the plans for the
[19:08] Brain Minor Subdivision.
>> So moved.
[19:12] » I'll second it.
>> And second it. Any further discussion?
[19:15] » as listed?
>> With the conditions as listed. Thanks,
[19:18] Pam.
[19:22] Further discussion?
All in favor?
[19:26] » I.
>> I.
[19:27] » Opposed?
>> All right.
[19:30] There you go.
Uh appointments. It's like [snorts] we
[19:34] have four couple proposals on aging.
Tom McKenna.
[19:40] So, we'll just do them one at a time.
Well, I would entertain a motion to
[19:44] appoint
him onto the board.
[19:47] » You want to move to appoint Tom McKenna
to the board of this county?
[19:51] Council on aging for a third term.
>> I'll second.
[19:55] » It's moved and seconded. Discussion?
All in favor?
[19:59] » I.
>> I.
[20:00] » Opposed?
>> All right.
[20:03] Next up, Joe Eckert. Yeah, this is his
second term.
[20:07] What's your pleasure?
>> I would move to approve Joe Eckert for a
[20:11] second term
on the Council on Aging board.
[20:16] » It's been moved.
>> Second.
[20:17] » And seconded. Discussion?
All in favor?
[20:21] » I.
>> I.
[20:22] » Opposed?
>> All right.
[20:25] And then for the Weed Board, we have Ed
Evans for his second term.
[20:30] What's your pleasure?
>> You want to move to
[20:33] appoint Ed Evans to the Weed Board for a
second term?
[20:37] » Second.
>> And seconded. Discussion?
[20:40] Seeing none, all in favor?
>> I.
[20:42] » I.
>> Opposed?
[20:44] » All right.
Okay, uh public comments on any
[20:48] non-agenda items?
[20:52] Seeing none, uh next meeting August 10th
at 2:00, August 19th at 5:15, August
[20:58] 25th at 2:00.
Meeting adjourned. And Scott's
[21:02] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[21:05] » Bye, then.
>> Bye, bye.
[21:06] » Bye, then.
>> Bye, then.
[21:07] » I'll never leave that way.
>> That's right.
[21:09] » my goodness. I don't even remember that.
>> I don't remember that.
[21:12] » I did.